tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post1215228649074070578..comments2023-12-26T21:35:08.828+08:00Comments on spittle splat : the fuss of us: The issue with megachurches (Part II).michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-49673144936741564602017-07-16T11:39:01.864+08:002017-07-16T11:39:01.864+08:00Thanks Rosita for taking the time. You have asked ...Thanks Rosita for taking the time. You have asked a good question, the same one I too have been asking myself. <br /><br />Actually, I've written about it in my previous posts here. <br /><br />With regards to the day of Pentecost where thousands congregated, that's a megachurch of sorts. I use the term very loosely.<br /><br />When Jesus fed the five thousands, that's another so-called megachurch there. <br /><br />But the crucial difference is that there is no permanence to it. More importantly, it is not institutionalized (or localised), which runs the risk of it being idealized and idolized. <br /><br />And although Jesus was the only one who can claim the right to start a "megachurch" of some permanence, with hierarchical order and the accumulation of wealth, influence and power (note the Catholic Church since the Edict of Milan), he neither told Pilate that his kingdom is of this world nor left instructions in the Great Commission that reminded his disciples to start "megachurches". <br /><br />Mind you, the difference is not just in form, but it is in substance too. The megachurches of today is not just institutionalised. It's also pyramid in structure and infrastructure, where the head of the church is unmistakably the charisma of man. He is also well rewarded for it beyond his wildest dream. <br /><br />With rapid urbanisation, I don't think it is only natural that we have large groups of people in our churches; thereby turning it into megachurches under the spell of larger-than-life personalities. <br /><br />The evolution of size or scale shouldn't impede or prevent the equally fortified evolution of wisdom and discretion to match, if not overcome. <br /><br />I know the worldly logic seems inevitable, but if Francis Chan is any indication (read Part I of this post 2 weeks ago), he started house-Churches of a few hundred all over, with everybody participating, and no one really leading.<br /><br />I know it is not a strict number game whereby we ask ourselves, "how many does it take to cross that megachurch threshold?" It is a discerning thingy. <br /><br />For if to be human is to be relational, then a church with Christ as the head ought to be relational too. <br /><br />And megachurches with the leader at the impersonal top of its pyramid structure cannot honestly claim to be so. If anything, such leadership tends to be impersonal, celebrity-like and attention-concentrating, where following the yellow-brick road usually leads one to the cult of personality. Or at the very least, competing visibility between man and God. <br /><br />As a reminder, Jesus' ministry was essentially relational. But the leadership of megachurches are essentially hierarchical, protocol-driven and personal branding. <br /><br />As churches grow, as the people throng in, the numbers will no doubt increase. It may even cross that relational threshold to become hierarchical and pyramid like. That is the dilemma of growth - that much I concede. <br /><br />But still, that does not make it inevitable or natural for megachurches to emerge. Megachurches are still a creation of men - not God (that is my personal view). <br /><br />Francis Chan (and others) I believe set the pace and example here. He left his megachurch of 5k and divested himself of all fame, money and control. <br /><br />He turned the attention away from himself, and set his gatherings up in such a way that each member is accountable to his/her own growth. <br /><br />In other words, it is not about the "entertainment-like" messages of the one on stage, but it is about a relational community of the right size with each accountable to themselves, one another and to God. <br /><br />Sorry to have written more than I need to. Just felt the need to. I hope I have answered your question to some extent. Have a blessed Sunday. <br /><br />michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-86222556474626366862017-07-16T09:42:36.692+08:002017-07-16T09:42:36.692+08:00Hi Michael, I always enjoy reading your posts...I ...Hi Michael, I always enjoy reading your posts...I don't like the glitzy style of megachurches any more than you do, but I have an honest question....wasn't the megachurch born on the day of Pentecost when 3000 were saved? With urbanization taking place at a rapid rate, isn't it only natural that we have large groups of people in our churches? Rositahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259397445486504353noreply@blogger.com